


Pink

by doridoripawaa



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Crimson Flower, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25901902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doridoripawaa/pseuds/doridoripawaa
Summary: "It's okay, Marianne. These things happen in war."Why? Why do they need to happen this way?
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Pink

Pink.

The color of the sky when the sun sets at the end of the day.

The color of the flowers she tended to in the garden, because flowers were far friendlier than people.

The color of her cheeks when she inevitably tripped up and made a mess of a mundane task.

The color of her best friend's hair, a best friend she had not seen in five years.

Why did that flash of pink around the corner look so familiar?

"Onward!"

Marianne did not have the time to muse over the rosy rush of color that flitted behind a building to her right. Edelgard's voice boomed behind her, encouraging her army to press forward. The mage reached up to rub her eyes, but the scarlet splatters on her skin caught her attention and stopped her in her tracks. 

Raising bloody hands up to her face would not be the best idea.

Marianne shook her head, hoping to clear her vision as well as her mind. Every time she saw pink, she couldn't help but recall a familiar face. A friendly face. A flustered face.

A face that, for all Marianne knew, could be six feet underground right now. A lot had changed in the past five years, after all.

One of the nearby soldiers gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, as if sensing her discomfort. "Derdriu will soon be ours!" he declared, and he sounded so determined that Marianne found herself wanting to believe him. She simply nodded back and rounded the corner with the small battalion by her side. Edelgard and Byleth had split their forces in order to attack Claude from two sides. If they surrounded him, not even the tricky tactician could escape unscathed.

An anguished cry sounded ahead of her, and Marianne nearly jumped out of her skin in fright. The morbid stench of blood wafted up to her nostrils, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste. She didn't even have time to identify who had let out the scream before she heard another wail and saw a dismembered arm fly several feet into the air.

Someone, or something, was mauling their army mercilessly, tearing into their soldiers as if they were made of glass bones and paper skin. Marianne slowed her pace and began to hide alongside the fallen stones and abandoned homes around her. Luckily, she could use her magic from a relatively long distance. Judging from the damage she had witnessed, this assailant was using a large, close-range weapon, like a sword or an axe, or maybe even claws. If Marianne could stay out of sight until she was within range for a nasty Blizzard or Nosferatu spell….

She began to chant as she saw an axe slice through the air. At least the attacker was a person and not a demonic beast. The warlock could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest, and she began to whisper faster and more fervently in order to wrap up the spell. Energy prickled at her fingertips as she accumulated power. Stealth missions still made her surprisingly nervous, so the sooner she could finish, the better.

Her palms were practically about to freeze over as she came closer to the conclusion of her Blizzard spell. Another soldier fell at the hands of this mysterious warrior, and Marianne could finally catch a glimpse of this person's face. Beneath the blood, sweat, and grime, she could distinguish a perky nose, pouty lips, and…

Pink.

Right before Marianne could utter those last few syllables of her incantation, her breath caught in her throat. 

"Hilda?" she croaked, and the power that had stored up in her body dissipated. Soft sizzles and cracks popped around her, like the sound of embers dying out. 

The warrior confirmed her suspicions when she turned her gaze onto Marianne. Wide, startled eyes, full of a mixture of emotions.

And bright pink.

"I… You're alive," she managed to gasp out, her own gaze darting wildly over Hilda from head to toe. The same girl, without a doubt, but older, sturdier, stronger, prouder, and -- unfortunately -- sadder.

Marianne's days at Garreg Mach hadn't been easy. Learning to battle at the officers' academy was challenging enough, but the entire time, the cyan-haired girl was also fighting with her own internal demons that threatened to end her life before even a lance or an arrow could.

Despite her weakness, despite her whining, despite her worries, Hilda had remained by her side. For training and tea. For battles and baths. For supper and sleep. Hilda had always been there, and she would sneak a few digs or criticisms in here and there, but Marianne never questioned her devotion or her compassion.

Did Hilda doubt  _ her  _ loyalty when she sided with Edelgard?

"Long time no see, Marianne," Hilda commented, and she slung Freikugel over her shoulder. "You look… different. Better. More confident. I mean, you've always been cute, but now you almost have a sexy side too."

Marianne could feel her face beginning to burn. "I…" What should she say? She had so many questions she wanted to ask. How were the past five years? How was Claude? How was Holst? Was the Alliance as she remembered? Did she hate Marianne for leaving? "I'm sorry, Hilda."

Much to her surprise, the other girl's eyes softened. "It's okay, Marianne," she responded in a calm voice. "These things happen in war."

_ Why? Why did they have to meet like this? _

"B-but they don't have to!" the warlock blurted out before she could even process her thoughts and feelings. Swiftly she clapped her hands over her mouth, and she could feel the heat spreading through her face. "C-come with us, Hilda. I don't want to fight you."

She expected an outright rejection. She expected a furious outburst. She expected Freikugel to come bearing down on her flesh.

She did not expect Hilda to sigh and scratch her head, as if genuinely contemplating the offer. "I couldn't abandon Claude like that," she said at last. "Plus, Edelgard and I… don't exactly see eye to eye."

"That's okay!" Marianne insisted, and she carefully lifted her quivering legs to take a step forward. "You don't have to like Edelgard. You can do this for your own reasons. I…" She fumbled around for the right words. "I don't agree with everything she does, either. But I admire her drive and her perseverance. I'm in awe of her strength. I… I wouldn't mind a world where Crests don't matter." Another step. Gingerly, Marianne reached a hand out to Hilda. Such a short physical distance, but such a large emotional gap. "This is my reason to live. Mine, and nobody else's."

Hilda stared at the thin, pale, outstretched fingertips. "Your reason to live, huh?" she murmured. "It isn't that easy. There's going to be a huge mess to clean up if Edelgard really does take over Fodlan."

"She wants to free Fodlan," Marianne told her. "I wish she wasn't using this path, but I respect her so much. She made me realize that maybe, with even my small contributions and actions, I could change the world in my own way." She wiggled her fingertips. "Change your world, Hilda."

Hilda sighed and spun her Relic in a circle. "My world," she echoed.

How Hilda could move so rapidly while toting a large axe, Marianne would never know. A wave of pink flashed in front of her eyes, and suddenly something soft pressed up against her lips. 

Soft, sweet, and tender.

The kiss was over as soon as it had begun. Hilda leaped back, and her ponytail bounced with the simple but dynamic movement. "I give you help, you give me sweets, we have a little tea party... It's a good arrangement, I'd say." She nodded slowly. "You're my world, Marianne. But don't make me work too hard, okay?"

Marianne's lips were still tingling under the influence of Hilda's spell, stronger than any magic. "I'm sorry you always have to clean up after me," she began, but Hilda silenced her with a look.

"Tell me the plan, Marianne. If I learned anything at Garreg Mach, I learned that when we are together, we can do anything." She gripped Freikugel's hilt with one hand and reached out toward Marianne with the other. The sun was setting behind her, casting a carnation-colored crown of light above her head. 

"Let's go change our world."

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU KATIE FOR THE COMMISSION! I wish this could actually happen in Crimson Flower....


End file.
